A dive team with Los Angeles Port Police pulled the body from the murky water several hours later, Nordquist said. Mr. Scott's body was taken to a dock in Wilmington and turned over to the county coroner's office.

One lane of the eastbound side of the bridge was closed to traffic during the investigation. Cargo vessels moved at reduced speeds through the east side of the port's main channel during the search, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Investigators found a note in Mr. Scott's black Toyota Prius, which was parked on the bridge, according to the Los Angeles Times. That note listed contact information. A suicide note reportedly was later found at his office.

The British-born Mr. Scott, who lived in Beverly Hills, was producer and director Ridley Scott's brother.

The two brothers ran Scott Free Productions and were working jointly on a film called "Killing Lincoln," based on the best-seller by Bill O'Reilly. Their company produced the CBS dramas "NUMB3RS" and "The Good Wife" as well as a 2011 documentary about the Battle of Gettysburg for the History Channel. Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" was a summer blockbuster.

"Top Gun," starring Tom Cruise, was one of the highest-grossing films of 1986. The pair worked together again four years later on the hit "Days of Thunder."

Mr. Scott frequently worked with Denzel Washington, most recently on the runaway train drama "Unstoppable." Mr. Scott and Washington collaborated on four other films: "Man on Fire," "Deja Vu," "Crimson Tide" and the remake "The Taking of Pelham 123."